Hydroaeroplane.



' E. J. E'LSAS.

HYDROAEEOPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.'13, 191a.

Patented FebQ2, 1915.

I a SHEETSSHEET 1.

- Attorneys E. J. ELSAS.

I HYDROAEBOPLANE. AiPLIOATION FILED JAN. 13, 1913.

1 127 21 16 Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

5 $HEETS-SHEBT 2.

E. J. ELSAS.

HYDROAEROPLANE.

APPLICATION IILEDVJAN. 13, ma

1,127 21 l. Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

E. J. ELSAS.

HYDROAEROPLANE. APPLICATION FILED JAN.13, 1913.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4 Attorneys s SHEETS-SHEET 5.

L I a";

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

EDWARD xmeoa mas, OF Kansas orrY, iiris'soum.

Specification of Ehetters rate n12.

Patented Feb/2, 19.15.

"a licatibn aieuttiiiify e, "1913. siifal 1%. 741,860.

' means whereby the wholesustaining plane can be tilted about, atransverse a-Xis relative to the rudder frame so 'as this to restore andmaintain the longitudinal balance of the machine, thereby preventing "orniaterially reducing the forward or rearward dipping which, heretofore,has sob'ftn re sulted disastrously to the occupants of inachinesinflight.

A further object is to provide in e'ans der the control ofa'singleelernent designed :to be grasped by the aviator, and whereb thevarious means-employed for controlling the flight of the machine, areconstantly under the control of'the aviator.

Another object is to provide a machine of this character the sustainingpliine of which constitutes means *for' cooling the water usd inconnection with the meter, it

thus being possible to dispense with theresistance to flightheretofore-offered by the radiators commonly in use.

Another object is to provide s'iistaiiiing surfaces having corrugatidnse xteniliiigjin the direction of thejline'o'f fiightwliereby thesustaining action of the air "or water supporting the machine will berendered more eflicient and the danger of laterardipping is reduced.

Another ob'ect is to provide 'cemtiaed heels and runners upon the bottomo"fthe car or body, these runners being desighed for use whiletraveliiioverki'c'esiiifaces the riimiers bein" provide v-withitneansfbrpieVenting ikid s pon the its.

Another object is to provide a novel fo rm 'of horizontal rudder;

Another obj ect is to provide means whereby the plane sections can herotated about traveling over the ground, the supporting wheel's eniplo'yed for this purpose being so niotintedas to be readilyshiftedtoor'out of active positions.

With the foregoing and other objects in viewwhich will appear "as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combinationfaiidarrangement of parts and in the -details 'of cons'trhction hereinafterdescribed and claiined, it'being understood that changes in thereiseembodi1nent-of the invention herein disclosed, can be niade withinthe see ebf what isclaimed, without departing from of the invention.

In the -acodrnp'anying drawings the preferred-form (if rnytinvention hasbeen shown. In said drawings :'Figure 1 is a view v p'artly in-sideelevation and partly in section *of *a -Iiiachiiie eliibotlyin'g thepresent imroveifients, the position er the sustaining i 'lfa'ne when'swung'about its transverse axis prior to being folded rearwardly, being'in- 'diated dotted lines. Fig. '2 is a plan view 015 the iiia'cliin-e,parts being broken away and the I sustaining fplane'being shown bydotted liiis, swung 'bacliwardly ed position. Fig. ,3 is "a frontelevation "of themachine,partsbeingbroken away. Fig. 4 "is "an enlargedtransverse -section through the'ceiitral section of the sustainiilgplane. Fig. 5 is a view-"partly in front'elevation and partlyin section"or the steering Post and adjacentfparts. Fi' 6 is a front elevation'ofthe nieeti'rig -'portio%1sof"the pivot rods on whichthe'ihovablesections of'thesustaining plane are momma-said rods being shown lockedto ether in their nor'rnal positions and-"the 3 eat-rings of the rodsbeing also shown. 7 1s a section at "line 'A-rB FigfiG. F gfi8 i-San='eii1argea vrtica1emiserated by the post and by the wheel supportedthereby. Fig. 10 is a detail view of the clutch mechanism employed inconnection with the front axle of the machine. Fig. 11 is a perspectiveview on an enlarged scale of certain of the controlling cables of themachine. Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the central or fixedsustaining plane and of adjacent parts, the support at the near side ofthe plane being shown in section. Fig. 13 is a perspective view ofportions of the pivot rods on which he sustaining planes are adapted tobe mounted, the said rods being separated and the coupling members beingshown. Fig. 14 is a perspective view of one end portion of one of thecoupling members and showing that side thereof not disclosed in Fig. 13..Fig. 15 is a section on line CD Fig. 13. Figs. 16,17,

18 and 19 are views showing diagrammatically, the action of the air uponthe planes when the parts of the machine are adjusted to differentpositions'relative t each other.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates asubstantially canoeshaped body or car, the same being provided with, abottom which is substantially straight from side to side and in whichare formed longitudinal corrugations, indicated at 2 in Fig. 3. Arrangedalong the sides of the bottom of the car or body are runners 3, theserunners being parallel and each being curved upwardly at its front end.As shown in Fig. 1, each runner may be provided with openings 4; wherebythe weight thereof is reduced without sacrificing strength. The upwardlycurved portions a channel 6 in its lower face whereby. parallel cuttingedges aregproduced asshown at 9. These edges are designed to cut intoice when the machine is traveling thereon and, therefore, preventskidding. The runners 3 constitute keels when the machine is floatingupon a body of water.- A. frame, indicated generally at 10, extendsupwardly from and is fixedly connected to the car or body 1 and hingedlysecuredto the upper portion of this frame are rearwardly extendingdownwardly curved arms 11 which converge beyond the rear end of the body1 and merge into a tubular spar 12 of any suitable length. Extendingupwardly through the rear end portion-of this spar 12 is a revolublestem 13, the lower end of 5 is preferably-forked, as at 14, so as toreceive a rear supporting wheel 15. This wheel is hollow and acts as arotating support or pontoon when the machine is traveling on water. Avertical rudder 16 is connected to the upper portion of stem 13 and aspring 17 is interposed between the spar and the fork 14 so as toconstitute a cushion for the spar whenthe wheel 15 comes into contactwith the ground. A wheel 18 is secured to the stem 13 between the spar12 and the vertical rudder 16 and has forwardly extending cords 19 orthe like secured thereto and extending partly therearound, these cordsbeing carried forwardly along the spar 12. The cords are preferablycrossed, as shown at 20 in-Fig. 9 and extend past opposed portions of aguide sheave 21 and thence over and downwardly from guide sheaves 22from which they enter the spar l2 and, after passing under guide sheaves23, extend forwardly within the spar and partly around guide sheaves 24to a the front end portions of the arms 11 where guide sheaves 25 arelocated.

'A hanger 26 extends downwardly from the spar 12 and has oppositelyextending arms 27 connected, by rearwardly converging rods 28 hinged tothe stem 13 at apoint close to the fork 14:. The arms 27 and rods 28constitute braces for the stem 13.

Fixedly connected to the rear end portion of the spar 12 andextendinglaterally beyond both sides thereof is a stationary horizontalrudder 29 made up of a lower thickness 30 of rigid material and an upperthiclmess 31 of flexible material such as a This upper thickness lightspring metal. extends rearwardly beyond the rear edge of the lowerthickness 30 to form a thin flexible spring like extension, and has itsrear edge portion reinforced by a transverse rod 32 to the end portionsof which are secured controlling cords 33. These cords extend downwardlyand forwardly so'as to pass under sheaves 34 mounted upon the axle ofthe wheel 15. From the sheaves the cords converge upwardly and forwardlyand merge into a single actuating cord 35 which extends over-a guidesheave 36 in the .bottom portion of the spar 12 and thence ex tendslongitudinally within the spar and along one of the arms 11 thereof to asheave 37 disposed at the forward end of one of said arms.- Suitableguide sheaves 38 may surface to the air in the path of the rudder andoperating to force the back end portion of the par downwardly.

F ixedly mounted upon the frame 10 is the middle section of thesustaining plane of the machine. This middle section, which the jacketof the motor 43. The section 2' is inclined downwardly and rearwardlyor, in other words, converges rearwardly to- Ward the body 1 and thebottom surface or thickness 40 of this section 39 is corrugatedlongitudinally asshown at 44 in Fig. 4. Thus it will be seen that theheated water delivered from the jacket of the motor 43 will flow througha pipe 43 into the compartment 42 and be cooled by the air flowmg alongthe lower corrugated surface of the stationary plain portion 39. Bycorrugating the thickness 40, an increased area is presented to theliquid contents of the section and it will be apparent that water willthus be cooled efliciently as though a radiator of a standard form wasemployed. The present cooling means is advantageous, however, because itoffers practically no objectionable resistance while the machine is inflight, whereas the radiators heretofore employed have affordedconsiderable resistance to the movements of the machines.

Arranged adjacent the sides of the upper portion of frame 10 are rings45 or the like having upwardly and downwardly extending trunnions 46journaled in the frame.

Bin s 45 are mounted in the rings 45 and have orwardly and rearwardlyextending trimnions 46 journaled in the rings 45.

Pivot rods 47 are journaled within the respective rings 45 and extendnormally in opposite directions from the frame 10.

' These rods are adapted to be rotated within the rings 45 and slidablymounted upon the inner end portion of one of the rods is a couplingsleeve 48 provided with a longitudinal slot 49 into which extends aguide pin 50 extending from said rod 47. One end of the sleeve 48 hasits rear half cut away, as shown at 51 and adapted normally to extendpartly around the opposed rod 47. Secured on this last named rod 47 is ashort sleeve 52 having a semi-cylindrical spacing element 53 interposedbetween it and the rod 47 on which it is mounted, thus forming a semi-clindrical recess 49, it being understood t at the sleeve 52 and the sacing plate 53 are secured to the rods 4 in any suitable manner, as bymeans of new as or t e like. Thus it will be seei'rthat when the sleeve48 is shifted longitudinally, the semicylindrical projecting portionwiil enter the space 49 and not only result in holding the two rods47 inalinement, but also in preventing independent rotation of said rods.

An arm 54 is fixedly connected to the sleeve 48 and by means thereof thesleeve can be shifted in the direction of its length along one of therods 47, and into or out of engagement with the other rod 47 Furthermore, while the sleeve is in engagement with both rods, the arm 54can be employed for rotating the two rods about their longitudinal axis.A bracket 55 is secured to the frame 10 and is adapted to be engaged bythe free end portion of arm 54 so as thus to limit said arm in itsmovement in one direction.

A cable 56 is secured to the free end portion of the arm and extendsrearwardly therefrom to a block 57 carryin a sheave 58.

Fixedly connected to each ro 47 is a movable section of the sustainingplane, each of these sections, which have been indicated at 59, beingmade up of ribs 60 extending transversely of the rod and interposedbetween an upper curved thickness 61 and a lower thickness 62. which iscurved to a lesser deree. The two thicknesses meet along their frontedges and the lower thickness extends rearwardly beyond the upperthickness, as shown particularly in Fig. 2.

That portion of the thickness 62 located under the outer end ribs of t esection 59 and back of the thickness 61 is ivided from the remainder ofthe rearwardly projecting portion 62 by a slit or incision 63, wherebyarm secured to one end of a controlling cord 67. This cord extendsforwardly between the thicknesses of the section 59 and partly aroundguide sheaves 68 and along the rod 47 to guidesheaves 69 mounted uponthe frame 10. From these sheaves the said cords extend to opposite sidesof a tubular controlling post 70. A plate 71 is soldered or otherwisefastened to the bottom of the body or carriage 1 so as to bridge theupper concaved surface of one of the corrugations and a stud 72 extendsupwardly om the center of this plate and constitutes the cen- 'terbearing of a substantially horizontal sheave 73. This sheave is adaptedto rotate relative to the plate 71 and the lower end of the post bearsdownwardly on the sheave.

A spiral spring 74 extends around the lower end portion of the post andis secured at one end to the upper face of the sheave 73 while its otherend is secured to the post 70. Mounted within the post is another spiralspring 75 which bears downwardly upon the closed lower end 76 of thepost.

Aflexible member 77 such as a metal cord, or the like, is attached tothe upper end of 'the spring 75 and to a bow spring 78 which bearsupwardly against the plate 71 and is interposed between said plate andthe bottomof the car or body. Thus it will be seen that the spring 75,which is constantly under stress, serves normally to hold the post 70perpendicular to the plate 71. At the same time the spring 7 4 whichconstitutes the sole connection between'the post 70 and the sheave 73will flex and thus permit swinging movement of 'the post relative to thesheave while, at the same time, causing rotary motion to-be transmittedfrom the post to the sheave.

The cords 19 hereinbefore referred to extend partly around and aresecured to the sheave 73 so that, when the sheave is rotated in onedirection, the vertical rudder will be turned to the right while, whenthe sheave is rotated in the opposite direction, said vertical rudderwill be swung to the left. As the rear wheel 15 moves with the verticalrudder, it is apparent that the same means may be employed for guidingthe machine while traveling over the ground, or upon the water, thewheel 15, in connection with the rudder 16, serving -to steer the machine while traveling on the water. As the post 70 is free to swinglaterally by reason of the particular connection described, it willbe-seen that when it is swung toward one side, the cords 67 will beactuated so as to elevate one of the aerofoils 64 whereas, when it isswung laterally in the opposite direction, the other aerofoil will beshifted. These aerofoils it is to be understood are formed of springmetal and normally extend downwardly with the spring ribs 60 thereabove.I

A hand wheel 79 is mounted for rotation within the upper portion of thepost 7 0 and has a sheave 80 revoluble therewith. Cords- 81 are securedto and extend downwardly from said sheave and through the post 70, thesecords extending outwardly from the lower end portion of the post. One ofthe cords 81 extends rearwardly under a sheave 82 securedto the body orcar 1 near the rear end thereof and thence upwardly to a cross bar 84which is-secured to and extends transversely of the arms 11 and isfixedly connectjacent its front end and thence upwardly over a guidesheave86 secured to the front end portion of the central or fixedsection 39 of the sustaining plane. From this sheave the cord 81 extendsrearwardly over a guide sheave 87 secured to the rear edge portion ofthe section 39 and thence downwardly to the cross rod 84 to which saidcord 81 is fastened. Thus it will be seen that the two cords 8 1constitute practically an endless cord extending from the wheel 80 tothe cross bar or rod 84.

As the body or car is adapted to swing upon its hinge connection tomembers 11 as an axis, it will be apparent that such swinging movementwill not be .retarded by the cords 81 owing to the fact that the sheavesand 82 which are secured to the body 1, will travel along the cordsduring this swinging movement. When the spar 12 swings upward relativeto the carriage 1, the distance between the sheave 82 and the cross bar84 will of course increase and when the spar 12 swings in the oppositedirection this distance will diminish.

Secured to the block 57 of sheave 58 are cords 90 which extendrearwardly between so as not to interfere with the swinging v movementof the, spar 12 relative to the carriage 1.

A strong spring, indicated at 92, extends forwardly from the arm 54 andis secured to the central section 39 of the sustaining plane, thisspring serving to pull normally in a forward direction upon the arm 54thus to hold the 'tiltable planes 59 normally in a predeterminedrelation to the fixed central.

plane 39.

It is to be understood that while the machine is in flight the-same maybe guided downwardly or upwardly simply by rotating the wheel 80 andthus causing one of the cords 81 to be woundupon the wheel while theother cord is paid out. As the two cords are connected to the arms 11 ofspar 12, it will thus be seen that the said spar will be swung upwardlyor downwardly relative to the suspended carriagel. When the spar 12 ispulled downwardly, the angle of incidence of the sustaining planes 39and 59 is diminished'and the machine,

while in flight, will be caused to travel in a substantially horizontalplane, as shown in Fig. 19. However, by pulling the spar 12 downwardlyto a further extent, so as thus its ducirig the angle of incidence. ofthe sustaining planes 59 by causing the rods l7 to rotate and to swingthe front ends of said sustaining planes 59 downwardly. Consequently themachine will thus be caused to dip downwardly and forwardly, thisoperation being, particularly desirable in effecting a quick landing. Inthis connection see Fig. 16 wherein the relative positions of thesustaining planes 39 and 59 have been indicated by full and dotted linesrespectively, when the lower cord 90 is drawn taut by the excessivelowering of the spar 12. In this figure, furthermore, the direction offlight under theseconditions is indicated by the arrow f. When the spar12 is swung upwardly to any extent without drawing the upper cord 90taut, the upward flight or ascent of the machine can be efiected. Thisis due to the fact that the upward movement of the spar brings the uppersurface of the tail plane or horizontal rudder into action, so that theair pressure against said rudler 31. will tend to push downward the rearend of the spar 12 and, consequently, tilt upwardly the sustaining plane39 which is fixedly connected to they car orv carriage. The sustainingplanes 59 will also, under normal conditions, tilt with the plane 39,the planes 59 being held against independent movement by the spring 92.Fig. 17 illustrates the action of the machine under the conditions justdescribed the direction of flight being indicated by the arrow f whilethe air pressures are indicated by the remaining arrows, If, however,the spar 12 should be swung upwardly to an excessive extent, thus todraw the upper cord 90 taut against the upper pulley 83, said cord willpull on the lever 54 and thus swing the forward edges of the sustainingplanes 59 downwardly, thereby reducing the angle of incidence thereofand tending. to restore the:

aohine to, its substantially horizontal ight,,.as will be apparent byreferring to Fig; 18, wherein it willbe seen that the tilted sustainingplanes 59 will displace air upwardly, thusj tending to ofise t thevdownwarddisplacement of air by the plane 39 and-by therudder 31. v p

The cord 35 extends rearwardly from the sheave 37 and over a guidesheave 93 supported by the rear portion of the central sustainingsection 39 of the plane and thence downwardly under the upperguidesheave 83. From this sheave the cord 35 extends forwardly intoengagement with; sheave58, thence-rearwardly around the lower sheave 33and back to sheave 58 from which it extends over the lower sheave 83 andthence downwardly under sheave 94 and; forwardly to the post 70. Aslack, cord 97 connects this cord 35 to the block 57, S aid cordbeinextended-between the -sheaves 83, .fllhe sai cord is attached to thepost as shown so .be flexed downwardly.

The cords 19 extend rearwardly from their guide sheaves 25 and overguidesheaves 95 from which they extend downwardly under guide sheaves 96secured within the body or carriage 1, these cords being then extendedforwardly to the wheel 73 so that, when said wheel is rotated byrevolving the post '70, motion is transmitted therefrom through thecords 19.to the vertical rudder and to the rear supporting wheel.

As has already been pointed out,'the operation of the aerofoils can becontrolled by swinging the post laterally so that niotion will thus betransmitted from the post through the cords 67 to the aerofoils.

In order that the machine may travel freely over the ground, frontsupporting wheels 98 are provided in addition to the wheel 15, thesesupporting wheels being journaled upon crank arms 99 located at the endsof anaxle 100 extending transversely of the front portion of the body 1.This axle is adapted tobe rotated by means of a lever 101 so located asto be conveniently grasped by the aviator, said lever controlling meanswhereby the Wheels 98 can be readily shifted into or out of activepositions. The mechanism for controlling the movement of the frontsupporting wheels into and. out of active positions,.includes a coiledspring 102 fixedly connected in any suitable manner at one end to theaxle 100- and having its other end secured to a clutch member 103provided with ratchet teeth. These ratchet teeth normally engage similarteeth formed upon a clutch member 104: which constitutes the lower endof the lever 101. Lever 101 is normally held against movementby any oneof a series of teeth 105 arranged upon the gunwale of the body 1.

With the lever thuslocked, as shown by full lines in Fig. 1, it will beapparent that the crank arms 99 will be extended downwardly andrearwardly, as shown by full lines in Fig. land a limited upward andrearward movement of the wheels 98 is permitted inasmuch as the spring,being secured at its respective ends to the axle 100 and to theclutchmember 103, operates as a cushion.

During this swinging. action, the clutch member- 103 presses against theteeth of the clutch member 104. and is thus held against movement aslong as lever 101 is locked. When it is not desired to use thesupporting wheels, lever 101 is swung backwardlygthus carrying thewheels forwardly until, aided I by the upward pressure of the supportupon them, .the axle is-rotate'd so as to bring catch 106 .whiclr is onlever- 101, into engagement with a notch 105 formed within clutch memher103. This operation occurs just as the wheels clear the ground and locksthem in such position for use as safety bearings while the machine istraveling upon the runners. Also it is to be understood that byunlocking the latch .the wheels may be brought entirely up by hand as.shown by I dotted lines in Fig. 1-.

The motor 43 drives a propeller 107 which is supported in front of thesection 39 of the sustaining plane.

While the machine is traveling over a solid surface, it is desirablethat the machine be arranged to readily pass obstructions,

thereby moving the coupling sleeve 48 out of engagement with the slottedportion 53 f one of the rods 47. The twotilted sections of the plane arethen swung rearwardly to the positions indicated by dotted lines at 109in Fig. 2, this rearward swinging movement being possible in view of thefact that the rods 47 are mounted in rings having vertical trunnions 46.The resistance oflfered by the atmosphere against the tilted sectionswill be suflicient to cause them to swing backwardly to the positionsindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. By pulling backwardly on lever 54the sustain- 1 ing planes can be swung forward together so as assumepositions for joining the-rods 47 by means of sleeve 48. This movementof the planes in unison can be eifected by means of a crossed belt 48mounted on sheaves 48 secured to the trunnions 46.

' As shown inFig. 3 deflecting wings 110 may-be provided at the sides ofthe front portion of the body 1 so as thus to deflect outwardly anywater which may work up upon the sides of the body while the machine is'floating.

The central section of the sustaining plane p is preferably thinner thanthe remaining or side sections, the] space therein, however,

' section thin, the'motor need not be elevated "asfar as would benecessary otherwise.

' 1; A machine of the class described,in-

affording ample accommodation for the water being cooled. By making thiscentral What is claimed is :r"

cluding a bod ,-a sustaining plane therev i 'bove and inc udinga centralsection fixedly-mo'untedrelative to the body and side sectionszitiltablymounted relative to; said body, -'a% "coupling constituting a.connection befigveen the mo'yable sections of the plane,

means for tilting the movable side sections of the sustaining planesimultaneously about an axis extending transversely of the line offlight, said coupling being shiftable to disconnect the tiltable sidesections of the sustaining plane, and hinge connections between saidside sections and adjacent portions of the machine, said side sectionsbein adapted to swing rearwardly and inwar ly whentilted out ofsustaining position.

2. A machine of the class described including a sustaining plane made upof a central fixed section and side movable sections cross rods on whichthe'side sections are mounted, meansfor coupling the rods together forrotation in unison, means for rotating the rods to tilt the forward endsof the movable plane sections downwardly, said coupling being shiftableby said last named means to disconnect the rods, said rods being adaptedto swing rearwardly while the sections are in tilted positions.

3. A machine of the class described including a sustaining plane made upof a central fixed section and side movable sections, cross rods onwhich-the side sections are mounted, means for coupling the rodstogether for rotation in unison, means for rotating the rods to tilt theforward ends of the movable plane sections downwardly,

said coupling being'shiftable by said last named means to disconnect therods, said rods being adapted to swing rearwardly while the sections arein tilted positions, and each of said movable sections includ ing anaerofoil adjacentits outer side, and

means supported below the fixed section for actuating the aerofoils. h

' 4. A machine of'the class described mcluding a sustaining plane madeup of a central fixed section and side sections, said side sectionsbeing tiltable about an axis extending transversely of the fixed centralsection, a body suspended below and fixedly connected to the centralsection, each of said movable sections having a nonflexible frontportion, and an integral rear flexible portion at its outer endconstituting an aerofoil, and means operable from a oint within the bodyfor shifting either of the aerofoils relative to its plane section.

5; A machine of the'class described mcluding. a sustaining plane made upof a' central fixed section and side movable sections, a body suspendedbelow and fixedly connected to, the central sect ion, of said movablesections'havmg a non-flexible front portion, and an integralrearflexible portion at its outer endfconstituting an aerofoil, meansoperable from a point with-. .1;

; in the body for shiftingeither of the aerofoils relative to itsmovable; side section, and means for tilting the movable side sectionsmul n ous y about an axis extending transversely of the line oi? flight.

6. A machine of the class described, including a sustaining planemade-up; of a central section and sidesections, a body suspended belowand fixedly connected to the.

central section, said side sections being tiltable about an axisextending transversely of the central section, a tail piece extendingrearwardly from and adapted to swing upwardly and downwardly about saidaxis of the side sections, means under the control of the aviator forswinging the tail piece upwardly and downwardly relative to the body andthe central section, and means operated by the movement of the tailpiecerelative to the body and'central section for producing relative movementof the side and central sections about said axis of the side sections.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination with asustaining plane including a central fixed section and side movablesections, of a body suspended below and fixedly connected to the centralsection, an arm suspended below and adapted to swing relative to thecentral section and constituting means for tilting the movable sectionsin unison about an axis extending transversely of the fixed' section, atail piece including a structure extending rearwardly from said axis*and rudders carried by the structure, means for shifting the said tailpiece upwardly and downwardly about said axis and relative to the bodyand central section, and means operated by theexcessive swingingmovement of the tail piece relative to the central plane section, foractuating the arm to change the relative positions of the movable andfixed plane sections.

8. A machine of the class described including a sustaining plane made upof a central section and side sections, said side sections being movableabout an axis extending transversely of the line of flight, aerofoilscarried by said side sections at the outer ends thereof and adapted toflex along lines extending transversely of the line of flight, astructure extending rearwardly from and hingedly connected to thecentral section of the sustaining plane,a vertical rudder mounted onsaid structure, a horizontal rudder, said horizontal rudder having arigid front portion'and a flexible rear portion, a body supported belowand fixedly connected to the central section, an endless connectionbetween said body and the rear wardly extending structure, a postmounted ,to swing within the body and to rotate about an upwardlyextending axis, means actuated by the rotation of the post for operatingthe vertical rudder, means operated by the swinging of the postforwardly and rearwardly, for actuating the flexible portion of thehorizontal. rudder,-means actulamd by' the lateral swinging movement ofthe POSlZzfOi" actuating the; aerqfoils, a hand wheel carried-by: thepost. and movable rela tive theretoitoz operate said: endless con11ection and shift the reanwardly extending:

structurerelative to the body;

9'. In a machine of'the class described the! combination with asustaining plane include.

ing;a central section and side sections, said side sectionsbeing adaptedto move together about an axis-extending:transversely: of; the line ofiflight, of a structure extending rearewardly from and hingedly connectedto the central section, ahorizontal ruddercarri'ed thereby and includinga front rigid portion and a rear flexible portion, a body below andfixedly connected to the centralsection, an

' ment of the structure for actuating the flexible portion of thehorizontal rudder.

10. In a machine of the class described,

. the combination with a sustaining plane including a central sectionand side sections,

said side sections being movable together about an axis extendingtransversely of the line of flight, of a rearwardly extending structurehingedly connected to said central section, a'horizontal rudder carriedby the structureand including a front rigid portion and a rear flexibleportion, a body below and fixedly connected to the central section ofthe sustaining plane, and means operated by excessive movement of saidstructure relative to the body, for tilting the movable plane sectionsand flexing the horizontal rudder, simultaneously.

11. In a hydro-aeroplane, the combination with a sustaining plane,aerofoils carried thereby, vertical and horizontal rudders mounted backof the sustaining plane, and a body, said rudders being mounted to swing"upwardly and downwardly relative tothe sustaining plane, of a 'wheelmountedlfor rotation, connections between the wheel and the verticalrudder, a post upstanding from the wheel, a flexible connectionbetweenthe post and wheel for transmitting rotary motion from saidpostto the wheel, yielding means for bindin the postmpon the wheel,oppositely exten ing connections between the post and the aerofoils, arearwardly extending connection between the post and the horizontalrudder, a hand wheel mounted transmitting connection between the postand wheel and a hand wheel mounted for rotation on the post.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 15' -my own, I have heretoaflixed my slgnature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD JACOB ELSAS.

. Witnesses:

J. B. Grow, A. 0. BROWN.

